Spill-free snack container

ABSTRACT

An improved spill-free snack container comprising a container, open ended container top, and closure device. The container has a circular container base with a cylindrical shaped sidewall. The circular container top is downwardly dished with an opening that accommodates a human hand. The sidewall exhibits a snack fill line for spill-free snack performance. The container top allows easy access to foodstuffs in the container. When the container is inverted, the container top and container&#39;s upper portion trap foodstuffs. A slide base, slide, and slide top provide a closure to the container top when the container is inverted or shaken. The combination of the container top and the sliding closure device prevents foodstuff spillage when the container is tilted; inverted slowly; inverted quickly; or shaken in the sideways, upright, or inverted positions. A top lid and bottom lid preserve freshness of foodstuffs when the container is not in use.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

[0001] Not Applicable

SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM

[0002] Not Applicable

BACKGROUND

[0003] 1. Field of Invention

[0004] This invention relates generally to spill-free containers,specifically to spill-free snack containers primarily for use by, butnot limited to, small children.

BACKGROUND

[0005] 2. Discussion of Prior Art

[0006] Many types of containers and closures are well known in the priorart. For example, a cylindrical container with a screw on or snap on lidhas been used to store a variety of items. However, these screw on andsnap on lids exhibit a significant disadvantage. When the container isopened to gain access to the contents, the contents may spill throughthe open end of the container. While this problem may be considered aninconvenience by adults, the problem is significant when the containeris primarily intended for use by small children.

[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,174 to Williams (1987) discloses aspill-proof container, primarily for use by children. The container hasa hollow interior between its interior surfaces. The cover includes acentrally located tubular portion which extends downwardly into thecontainer. The tubular portion is wide enough to accommodate a smallchild's hand. The bottom portion of the tubular portion is separatedfrom the container base to allow access to the hollow interior of thecontainer. The top of the tubular portion can also be sealed with a lidto preserve freshness of the contents when the container is not in use.The container is easy to clean. The container also allows visual accessto foodstuffs in the container. The container is considered spill-proofwhen tilted or inverted. However, the container is spill-proof only whentilted or inverted slowly. If the container is inverted quickly, shakensideways, shaken in the upright position or shaken in the invertedposition, spillage can result which is an undesirable result.

[0008] For other examples of spill-proof containers that use covers withcentrally located tubular-like portions which extend downwardly into thecontainer, see U.S. Pat. No. 618,624 to Stanek (1899); U.S. Pat. No.6,386,138 B1 to Schramm (2002); and British Patent Specification1,428,356 to Hunter (1976). As these patents appear to be non-analogousart, they do not address the disadvantages listed in the “U.S. Pat. No.4,714,174 to Williams” paragraph above. U.S. Pat. No. 618,624; U.S. Pat.No. 6,386,138 B1; and British Patent Specification 1,428,356 may beadequate for their intended use, but they do not solve the problem of aspill-free snack container.

[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 4,328,904 to Iverson (1982) discloses a spill-proofcontainer and closure for use by small children. The spill-proofcontainer's lid incorporates a plurality of overlapping flexible flaps,which are resilient in nature and provide a closure for the container. Auser gains access to container contents with a hand by penetrating theapproximate center of the overlapping flap closure. When the hand isremoved from the container, the overlapping flap closure forms a seal toprevent spillage of the contents. However, when a child uses thisspill-proof container several significant disadvantages exist. First, ifa child learns that the flexible flaps push inward, a child willdiscover that the flexible flaps pull outward, which will result inspillage of the contents. Second, the overlapping flexible flaps presenta barrier that a child may not overcome. Further, when a child begins topenetrate the overlapping flap closure with a hand, the child may feelthe hand is being trapped by the flaps, causing the child to remove thehand without retrieving any snacks. Also, if a child were to vigorouslyshake the snack container, spillage could result.

[0010] For other examples of spill-proof containers that use a pluralityof overlapping flexible flaps, see U.S. Pat. No. 3,116,927 to Kulhman(1964), U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,717 to Bussard et al. (1989), and U.S. Pat.No. 6,176,384 B1 to Voloshin (2001). None of these patents address thedisadvantages listed in the “U.S. Pat. No. 4,328,904 to Iverson”paragraph above.

BACKGROUND—OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

[0011] Accordingly, several objects and advantages of the currentinvention are:

[0012] (a) to provide a spill-free snack container, primarily for use bysmall children, that does not spill when tilted or inverted slowly andrarely spills when inverted quickly, shaken in the upright position,shaken sideways, or shaken in the inverted position;

[0013] (b) to provide a spill-free snack container with easy access tothe foodstuffs in the container;

[0014] (c) to provide a spill-free snack container that virtuallyprohibits a child from forcibly spilling the contents; and

[0015] (d) to provide a spill-free snack container that is transparentfor easy visual access of the foodstuffs in the container.

[0016] Other objects and advantages are to provide a spill-free snackcontainer that is simple in design, inexpensive to manufacture, easy touse, safe to use, easy to clean, lightweight, and efficient inoperation. The spill-free snack container may be made disposable ordurable depending on the thickness of the container and relatedcomponents. Further objects and advantages will become apparent from aconsideration of the drawings and ensuing discussion.

SUMMARY

[0017] In accordance with the present invention a spill-free snackcontainer comprising a container, an open ended downwardly dishedcontainer top, and a closure device which utilizes natural forces tocover the open ended container top when the container is inverted orshaken to prevent foodstuff spillage. When the container is in theinverted position, the upper end of the container and the container topprovide a foodstuff storage area.

DRAWINGS—DRAWING FIGURES

[0018]FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the preferred embodiment of aspill-free snack container with the front section cut away.

[0019]FIG. 2 is a section view of the preferred embodiment of aspill-free snack container.

[0020]FIG. 3 is an inverted section view of FIG. 2.

[0021]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a top lid of a spill-free snackcontainer.

[0022]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a bottom lid of a spill-free snackcontainer.

[0023]FIG. 6 is a sectional view of an additional embodiment of aspill-free snack container with an alternative closure means.

[0024]FIG. 7 is an inverted sectional view of FIG. 6.

DRAWINGS—REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0025] Lower case letters follow the reference numerals as needed todifferentiate similar parts. 28. Container 30. Container Top 32.Inverted Cone 34. Cylinder Lip 35. Handle 36. Slide Base 38. Slide 40.Slide Top 42. Annular Lip 44. Sidewall 46. Container Base 48. SidewallExtension 49. Snack Fill Line 50. Top Lid 51. Bottom Lid 52. Rim Element54. Top Attachment Arm 56. Closure Element Support 58. Closure Element60. Hinge

DETAILED DESCRIPTION—PREFERRED EMBODIMENT, FIGS. 1-5

[0026]FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a spill-free snack container. Thefront section is cut away for easy viewing of container contents. Theinvention measurement specifications that follow assume the user is asmall child with a hand width of approximately 5.2 cm. The measurementscan be increased or decreased proportionately to accommodate differenthand widths. All edges are rounded and smooth for child safety.

[0027] A circular container top 30 is comprised of a downwardly dishedinverted cone 32, a cylindrical lip 34 and an annular lip 42. The bottomportion of inverted cone 32 and cylindrical lip 34 form an opening intoan open ended, cylindrical shaped container 28. Container top 30 is madeof molded transparent plastic with an approximate thickness of 0.8 mm to2.0 mm. The diameter of container top 30 is approximately 10.2 cm. Theinverted cone 32 portion of container top 30 extends downwardly intocontainer 28 with a depth of approximately 2.6 cm. The bottom portion ofinverted cone 32 extends into cylindrical lip 34. Cylindrical lip 34extends downwardly into container 28 for approximately 6 mm. Thediameter of cylindrical lip 34 is approximately 5.7 cm which correspondsto the width of the opening in container top 30. The annular lip 42 withan approximate height of 3 mm surrounds the outer top portion ofcontainer top 30. The container top 30 attaches to container 28.

[0028] Container 28 is made of the same molded transparent plastic ascontainer top 30. Container 28 has a sidewall 44, a container base 46, asidewall extension 48, a slide base 36, a snack fill line 49, and ahandle 35. Sidewall 44, container base 46, sidewall extension 48, andslide base 36 are approximately 0.8 mm to 2.0 mm thick. The height ofsidewall 44 from container base 46 to the top of container 28 isapproximately 10.5 cm. The height of sidewall extension 48 from thebottom of container 28 to container base 46 is approximately 2.6 cm. Thediameter of the circular container base 46 is approximately 10.2 cm.Cylindrical shaped slide base 36 is a molded portion of container base46. Slide base 36 is located at the center of container base 46 and ishollow and open ended at both ends with an approximate diameter of 3.5cm and height of 2.6 cm. Attached to sidewall 44 of container 28 ishandle 35 that accommodates a small child's hand. Also included onsidewall 44 is a snack fill line 49.

[0029] A slide 38 and slide top 40 are the remaining elements of FIG. 1and are made of the same molded transparent plastic as container top 30and container 28. The cylindrical shaped slide 38 is approximately 3.3cm in diameter with a height of 5.2 cm. The slide top 40 has a slightlycurved surface and is a molded part of slide 38 with an approximatediameter of 5.7 cm.

[0030]FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the spill-free snack container.Reference numerals and descriptions are the same as FIG. 1. The sectionview accommodates the operation discussion that follows and directlycorresponds to FIG. 3.

[0031]FIG. 3 is an inverted section view of the spill-free snackcontainer. Reference numerals and descriptions are the same as FIG. 1.The section view accommodates the operation discussion that follows anddirectly corresponds to FIG. 2.

[0032]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a top lid of the spill-free snackcontainer. A circular top lid 50 is made of a flexible plastic and isapproximately 10.2 cm in diameter. Top lid 50 contains a rim element 52which extends downwardly approximately 3 mm.

[0033]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a bottom lid of the spill-freesnack container. A circular bottom lid 51 is made of a flexible plasticand is approximately 10.2 cm in diameter. Bottom lid 51 contains a rimelement 52 a which extends upwardly approximately 3 mm.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION—OPERATION—PREFERRED EMBODIMENT, FIGS. 1-5

[0034]FIGS. 1 and 2 depict the invention in the upright position.Container top 30 is designed for ease of access to foodstuffs (not shownin drawings) when container 28 is upright and to trap foodstuffs whencontainer 28 is inverted as depicted in FIG. 3. The inverted cone 32portion of container top 30 allows easy access to foodstuffs within anupright container 28. The foodstuffs would be located at the bottom ofan upright container 28 surrounding slide base 36 and slide 38. Whencontainer 28 is inverted, as in FIG. 3, the upper portion of container28 in combination with the inverted cone 32 and cylinder lip 34 portionsof container top 30 provide adequate storage for the foodstuffs.Container top 30 attaches to container 28 by screw-on or other lockingmeans.

[0035] Referencing FIGS. 1-3, open ended container 28 is defined bycylindrical sidewall 44 and container base 46. Cylindrical sidewallextension 48 continues downward past container base 46. Container base46 includes cylindrical hollow slide base 36 that is open ended at bothends and centrally located on container base 46. This slide base 36holds a cylindrical slide 38. Slide 38 includes a slide top 40, whichhas a slightly curved spherical top so foodstuffs cannot come to rest ontop of slide top 40. The height of cylindrical slide 38 is approximatelytwice the height of slide base 36. When slide 38 is inserted downthrough slide base 36 (already the case in FIGS. 1-3), slide 38 passesbeyond container base 46 so that the bottom portion of slide 38protrudes from container base 46 the same length as sidewall extension48. When container 28 is in the upright position, slide 38 is at rest.The distance between the bottom of cylinder lip 34 of container top 30and the top of slide top 40 is approximately 4.8 cm, which allows easyaccess to foodstuffs that surround slide 38 and slide base 36. Whencontainer 28 is inverted as in FIG. 3, slide 38 utilizes gravity toextend, and slide top 40 forms a closure of the hole in container top30. The extended slide 38 and slide top 40 ensure that no spillage offoodstuffs occurs, especially when container 28 is inverted quickly,shaken in the upright position, shaken in the inverted position, orshaken sideways. Once container 28 is inverted and slide 38 extended,the foodstuffs are trapped by the inverted cone 32 and cylinder lip 34portions of container top 30. When container 28 is returned to theupright position, slide 38 returns to the resting position, and thefoodstuffs fall to container base 46 surrounding slide base 36. Sidewall44 of container 28 includes a snack fill line 49 which approximates theheight of slide base 36 to ensure spill-free operational effectiveness.Also a molded part of sidewall 44 is handle 35 which assists a youngchild in holding container 28. From the description section above, thethickness of container top 30, sidewall 44, container base 46, sidewallextension 48, and slide base 36 approximates 0.8 mm to 2.0 mm. Thenarrower end of the range accommodates a disposable spill-free snackcontainer while the wider end of the range pertains to a durablespill-free snack container.

[0036]FIGS. 4 and 5 are container lids utilized when the spill-freesnack container is not in use to maintain the freshness of thefoodstuffs in container 28. FIG. 4 shows top lid 50, which utilizes rimelement 52 to snap onto the annular lip 42 portion of container top 30in FIGS. 1-3. FIG. 5 shows bottom lid 51, which utilizes rim element 52a to snap onto the bottom portion of sidewall extension 48 in FIGS. 1-3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION—ADVANTAGES—PREFERRED EMBODIMENT, FIGS. 1-5

[0037] Several advantages of the spill-free snack container are asfollows:

[0038] (a) The combination of container top 30 with a sliding closuredevice significantly improves the performance of spill-free snackcontainers.

[0039] (b) The spill-free snack container is inexpensive to manufacturesince it is made of inexpensive plastic utilizing a relativelyinexpensive mold injection manufacturing process.

[0040] (c) The transparent plastic allows for easy visual recognition offoodstuffs in container 28.

[0041] (d) The hole in container top 30 allows for easy visualrecognition of foodstuffs in container 28 as well.

[0042] (e) The spill-free snack container is simple in design andlightweight, which makes it easy to use, with just three operationalpieces, the container top 30, the container 28, and the slide 38.

[0043] (f) The three operational pieces, the container top 30, thecontainer 28, and the slide 38 separate easily for cleaning purposes.

[0044] (g) The spill-free snack container is safe to use since the threeoperational pieces, the container top 30, the container 28, and theslide 38 are relatively large compared to a child's mouth and all theedges are rounded and smooth.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION—ALTERNATIVE CLOSURE EMBODIMENT, FIGS. 6 AND 7

[0045]FIGS. 6 and 7 present an alternative closure embodiment for aspill-free snack container. Although all reference numerals are shown inthe drawings, identical component parts previously discussed in thepreferred embodiment will not be discussed for FIGS. 6 and 7. Referencenumbers for similar parts are followed by lower case letters in FIGS. 6and 7, but the materials used, component part thickness, and otherdimensions of the base reference numerals are the same as the preferredembodiment unless otherwise noted.

[0046]FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the alternative embodiment of thespill-free snack container. An open ended container 28 a is attached tocontainer top 30 a. The primary difference in container top 30 a fromthe preferred embodiment is the inclusion of a top attachment arm 54, aclosure element support 56, a closure element 58, and a hinge 60. Topattachment arm 54 is a molded part of container top 30 a. Top attachmentarm 54 is attached to inverted cone 32 approximately 3 mm from cylinderlip 34. Top attachment arm 54 is approximately 2 mm in length, 2 mm inwidth, and 1 cm in height so that the bottom portion of top attachmentarm 54 is even with the bottom of cylinder lip 34. Closure elementsupport 56 is a molded part of the bottom portion of top attachment arm54. In the two dimensional section view, closure element support 56 istriangular in shape. The side of closure element support 56 that facesclosure element 58 is rectangular in shape with an approximate width of4 mm and length of 7 mm. Closure element support 56 angles in slightlytoward the center of container 28 a. Circular shaped closure element 58is attached to a hinge 60. Closure element 58 is approximately 1 mmthick and 5.2 cm in diameter. The hinge 60 is also attached to thebottom inner portion of top attachment arm 54. A circular container base46 a is flat and solid with an approximate diameter of 10.2 cm.

[0047]FIG. 7 is an inverted sectional view of FIG. 6 and will bediscussed in the operation section below.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION—OPERATION—ALTERNATIVE CLOSURE EMBODIMENT, FIGS. 6AND 7

[0048] Referencing FIG. 6, the spill-free snack container with thealternative closure embodiment is shown in the upright position.Container top 30 a is designed for ease of access to foodstuffs whencontainer 28 a is upright and to trap foodstuffs when container 28 a isinverted as depicted in FIG. 7. In FIGS. 6 and 7, container top 30 aincludes closure element 58, which is at rest when container 28 a is inthe upright position. When container 28 a is inverted, the hinge 60 andslightly inwardly angled closure element support 56 allow closureelement 58 to utilize gravity in providing a closure to the open end ofcontainer top 30 a. This closure ensures that foodstuffs will not spillwhen container 28 a is inverted, inverted quickly, tilted, shakensideways, shaken in the upright position, or shaken in the invertedposition.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION—CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE OF THEINVENTION

[0049] Accordingly, the reader will see that the invention's containers,open ended container tops, and closure devices provide nearly perfectspill-free snack containers, primarily for use by small children. Theclosure devices utilize natural forces to provide a closure to the openend of the container tops when the containers are inverted or shaken.The containers will not spill snacks when accidentally tilted orinverted. The containers rarely spill snacks if a child tries toforcibly spill snacks by quickly inverting the containers, shaking thecontainers sideways, shaking the containers in the upright position, orshaking the containers in the inverted position. Since the containersare constructed of transparent plastic, the child has easy visual accessto foodstuffs within the containers. The open ended container topspresented allow for easy access to foodstuffs within the containers. Aspill-free snack container will save on a child's snack expense and aparent's clean up time. Additional advantages are to provide aspill-free snack container that is simple in design, inexpensive tomanufacture, easy to use, safe to use, easy to clean, lightweight, andefficient in operation. The spill-free snack container can be madedisposable or durable depending on the thickness of the container andrelated parts.

[0050] While the above description contains many specifications, thesespecifications should not be construed as limitations on the scope ofthe invention, but rather as an exemplification, a preferred embodiment,or an alternative embodiment thereof. For example, in the preferredembodiment, the slide and slide base are two components. The slide andslide base could be three or more components forming a telescopingslide. Furthermore the slide could be housed around the slide baseinstead of being housed within the slide base. Also, the container topcould be strictly an inverted cone without a cylinder lip. The containertop could contain a centrally located column-like cylinder that extendsdown into the container approximately one-quarter the depth of thecontainer. For another example, the additional embodiment presentedcould utilize two or more closure devices. The closure device(s) couldbe attached to the sidewall, cylinder lip, or container base.

[0051] Considering both the preferred and alternative embodimentspresented, the material used should not be limited to transparentplastic. The shape of the container should not be limited to a cylinder.The shape of component parts should not be limited to their exactdescription in the specification because slight alterations may improveoperational effectiveness. The size of the container could be alteredproportionately to accommodate different hand sizes.

[0052] Additionally, other alternative closure devices could beemployed. One such additional embodiment utilizes a rectangular shapedcontainer and container top. The container top is open ended anddownwardly dished as in the preferred embodiment. Two hinged closureelements are attached to the outside of the container top. These closureelements lie flush against the two longer edges of the downwardly dishedrectangular container top. The closure elements extend approximatelyhalf way down the container top. When the container is upright, theclosure elements lie at rest. When the container is inverted, theclosure elements extend to form a closure, which is on the outside ofthe container top. Other closure devices could be used including thoseusing a power source other than natural forces. Any power source usedother than natural forces, unnecessarily increases the cost of aspill-free snack container. Any other devices utilizing natural forcesto provide a closure should be considered a violation of the spirit ofthis invention.

[0053] Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined notby the embodiments illustrated, but by the appended claims and theirlegal equivalents.

I claim:
 1. A spill-free snack container comprising: (a) a containerincluding a container base and a sidewall attached around said containerbase, said container including an open end opposite said container base;(b) a container top with a downwardly dished opening large enough toaccommodate a human hand, said container top attaching to said open endof said container, and said downwardly dished opening extendingapproximately one quarter of said container's depth; and (c) a closuremeans in conjunction with said container top, said closure meansactivated when said container is inverted or shaken, whereby providingsaid closure means to said downwardly dished opening of said containertop thus preventing spillage of foodstuffs with said container top andupper portion of said container providing storage of foodstuffs whensaid container is inverted.
 2. The spill-free snack container of claim1, wherein said closure means comprises a slide device, which uponinversion or shaking of said container, said slide device extends toform said closure means to said downwardly dished opening of saidcontainer top.
 3. The spill-free snack container of claim 1, whereinsaid closure means comprises a hinged closure device, which uponinversion or shaking of said container, said hinged closure device formssaid closure means to said downwardly dished opening of said containertop.
 4. [0042] A spill-free snack container comprising: (a) a containertop with a downwardly dished surface extending to an opening largeenough to accommodate a human hand; (b) a container comprised of asidewall and a container base, said sidewall attached around saidcontainer base, said container including an open end opposite saidcontainer base, and said open end of said container attaching to saidcontainer top with said downwardly dished surface of said container topextending approximately one quarter of said container's depth; and (c) aclosure device selected from the group consisting of slide and hingedclosure devices, said closure device engaging when said container isinverted or shaken, whereby providing closure to said opening of saidcontainer top preventing spillage of foodstuffs, with said container topand upper part of said container providing a storage area for foodstuffswhen said container is inverted.